1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gambling and games of pure chance, and more specifically to a lottery game. The present game provides multiple jackpots or pools, according to the number of different denominations of wagers made by bettors. The pools may be combined as a single pool, with the pool being divided according to the amount of each different denomination wagered, or may be separated into different pools for each denomination. In both cases, all wagers of all denominations are processed through a central controlling authority for the entire lottery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lotteries, both private and state operated, are popular games with many people. The convenience of being able to purchase one or more lottery tickets for a state game, encourages many persons to play who might not otherwise gamble. Moreover, the worthy cause generally involved (state funding, charitable cause, etc.) also encourages many people to play such games.
Nonetheless, conventional lotteries have their drawbacks, which can be discouraging to some players. One such drawback is that many, if not most, such lotteries provide only a single level of play in the form of one ticket price or denomination. If a player wishes to play at a higher level, the only option is to purchase more tickets. Even so, such a player is still playing against a relatively large number of other bettors, as such ticket prices are generally kept low in order to encourage play.
The opposite side of this picture is the provision of relatively high priced tickets. This is often done for charitable causes, in which only a relatively small predetermined number of tickets are sold for a relatively large prize (automobile, etc.). The relatively high ticket price increases the odds of a single ticket winning the jackpot or prize, but discourages bettors who may not wish to gamble such a large amount on a single ticket.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a multiple level lottery game, in which bettors may wager any amount according to a plurality of predetermined wager levels (e. g., $1, $5, $10, etc.). However, the wagers are not placed in a single pool, but wagers from all tickets of each amount are placed in their own pool. Thus each pool contains various total amounts, with only those bettors having placed wagers at a given level or ticket price being qualified to win the jackpot from the pool consisting of the wagers made by those bettors at that level. The pools may remain separate, or may be combined, with the fraction of the pool of each wager level being returned to the winning bettor of that level.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,278 issued on Jun. 27, 1989 to Victor Markowicz, titled "Hierarchical Lottery Network With Selection From Differentiated Playing Pools," describes the interconnection of two or more state lottery games into a national (or multi-state regional) game. Winning odds are calculated based upon input from players throughout the entire region, and not just from a single state. Payoffs are provided according to the total amount wagered and the number of winning bettors, somewhat like a parimutuel system. However, Markowicz mentions only a single wager level (e.g., one dollar, although he indicates that other wager amounts may be used) throughout his disclosure, and is silent regarding any provision for multiple wager levels and corresponding pools, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,737 issued on Sep. 10, 1991 to Debra Fienberg, titled "Lottery-Type Game System With Bonus Award," describes a lottery game in which the multiple levels may only be achieved by certain players, by chance. A relatively small number of players are randomly eligible for play at a second level, and the Fienberg disclosure provides for additional levels as well. However, Fienberg is silent regarding any means for distributing wagers in a single payoff for each wager denomination according to different amounts bet by different numbers of players, as provided by the present multi-level lottery game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,293 issued on Oct. 27, 1992 to Wayne L. Mullins, titled "Lottery Game And Method For Playing Same," describes another multiple level game, in the sense that players may be sequentially eligible for different prizes or payoffs during the course of play, as in the Fienberg '1737 U.S. Patent discussed immediately above. However, as in the Fienberg disclosure, Mullins makes no mention of any different wagering denominations by different groups of bettors, and resulting different pools and accordingly different prizes or payoffs, as provided by the present game system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,620 issued on Feb. 1, 1994 to Roger N. Keesee, titled "Lottery Game And Method Of Playing A Lottery Game," describes a parimutuel game incorporating a plurality of game terminals and ticket printers which communicate with a central processor, in the manner of many known lottery type games. The present game differs from the Keesee game, in that Keesee describes his process as calculating the progressive jackpot prize(s) before wagers are placed. Thus, Keesee requires an estimate of the money to be collected by wagers, before the total amount of those wagers are known. The present system operates essentially in real time, and calculates payoffs based upon the wagers made to that point. Also, Keesee does not describe the use of wagers of different denominations and corresponding separate pools, or at least a single pool which is divided according to the percentage of wagers of each denomination placed therein, as provided by the present lottery game invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,200 issued on Apr. 18, 1995 to James M. Zalabak, titled "Lottery-Type Gaming System Having Multiple Playing Levels," describes a "pyramid" type game in which successive wagering levels are provided, with each level providing an increased chance of winning due to the removal of at least one game symbol from each successively higher level. Zalabak does not describe any different levels due to differing wager amounts or denominations, as provided by the present lottery game, nor does he describe any means of dividing the pool, or of providing separate pools, corresponding to separate groups comprising different wager amounts or denominations, as provided by the present lottery game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,679 issued on Mar. 25, 1997 to Nikko Casa et al., titled "Method Of Playing A Lottery Game," describes a game in which two drawings are held for each game. The first drawing determines the winning bettor, while the second drawing determines the winning recipient of a group of worthy recipients (schools, charitable institutions, etc.). The Casa et al. system divides the jackpot or pool conventionally, in accordance with conventional state-run lotteries and the like for financing various governmental operations, rather than dividing the jackpot in accordance with the different denominations of wagers placed by different groups of bettors, as in the present lottery game. Casa et al. are silent regarding any amount or denomination of wager or wagers, and do not describe any wagers, or prize awards, based upon different wager amounts or denominations, as provided by the present game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,237 issued on Aug. 4, 1998 to J. Wesley Fults et al., titled "Lottery-Type Gaming Method Having Multiple Playing Levels," describes a "Bingo" type game in which different levels of prizes or awards are provided. Fults et al. provide exemplary winning amounts (e. g., $250, or instant winners of $1, $5, $10, etc.), but do not divide the pool into different fractions corresponding to different wager denominations by different groups of bettors, as provided by the present lottery game invention. Moreover, Fults et al. make no provision for different wager amounts or denominations, as provided by the present game.
British Patent Publication No. 1,302,438 published on Jan. 10, 1973 to Ticket Seal Ltd., titled "Improvements Relating To Lottery Tickets," describes a lottery ticket having a plurality of player selectable tear-off panels, each covering a symbol on the ticket. The player removes or opens only a few of the panels to expose the symbols therebeneath, simulating the symbols displayed by a "fruit machine" (i. e., slot machine). The Ticket Seal patent publication is directed solely to the configuration and construction of a lottery ticket incorporating the above features. The Ticket Seal patent publication does not describe any particular wager amounts, much less any grouping of wagers according to different wager denominations and corresponding division of a pool to provide corresponding payoffs, as provided by the present lottery game invention.
British Patent Publication No. 2,163,662 published on Mar. 5, 1986 to Glendinning Companies Inc., titled "Lottery Game," describes a game and card configuration therefor, in which the cards each have a plurality of separate, obscured winning or losing indications which are "scratched off" by the player. The cards comprise two different types. The first type includes the same indication under each obscured area, thus assuring that a player drawing such a card will certainly either win or lose. The game control may control the issuance of winning first type cards. The second type includes a series of different obscured indicators, with a player revealing a single one of the indicators during play. Thus, any winnings of the second type of card occur randomly. This division of the method of play, and adjustment of the odds, is unlike the present lottery game in which different players may purchase chances of different denominations, with wagers from each group of players purchasing chances of a given denomination being placed in a separate pool, or corresponding fraction of a larger pool comprising wagers of all denominations.
In addition to the above, the present inventors are aware of various parimutuel games and systems which have been developed in the past. In such parimutuel systems, bettors may place wagers of various predetermined amounts upon the outcome of a future event (horse race, etc.). The winnings are distributed not only according to the outcome of the race or event and the previously calculated odds of the outcome occurring, but also according to the amount wagered by winning bettors, e. g., a $5 wager would win two and one half times more than a $2 wager. The present game does not require any skill, as in the knowledge of horses and conditions for a horse race, but is a pure chance game. Moreover, the present game does not provide for the possibility of multiple winners each independently and successfully wagering on the same outcome, and corresponding adjustment of the payoff odds to each bettor, as in a parimutuel horse race wagering system, but rather provides equal odds for all bettors in each of the wagering levels or denominations.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.